One of the two surgeons who rushed to save lives in the aftermath of a mass shooting in Poland says his colleague stopped the bleeding of the police officer, “undoubtedly” saving his life.
Professor Michal Pędziwiatr and Dr Mateusz Wierdak were having lunch in central Krakow with their families when they heard gunshots, local media reports.
“Suddenly my son ran up and said: ‘Dad, they’re shooting at people there, people are falling to the ground’,” Pędziwiatr told news outlet Fakt.
Pędziwiatr said when they got to the scene, they treated both the apparent attacker and the police officers.
“When it comes to saving lives, it doesn’t matter who is who.”
Police are continuing to investigate Saturday’s incident after six people were killed in the Krakow’s market square. Sixteen more were injured, including Senior Police Constables Jakub Kulik and Artur Morański.
Three other bodies were found in the alleged gunman’s apartment who were identified by police as the suspect’s parents and sister.
Once the shooting stopped, Pędziwiatr said he took care of the other victims and the apparent perpetrator who needed help, while Wierdak began working on the police officer who was shot in the chest during the gunfight.
“He, to put it colloquially, stuffed all the bandages into [the police officer’s] chest and stuck his hands in,” he told Fakt.
“If not for that, I don’t know how things would have turned out, as there was a long wait for the ambulance”.
Meanwhile, Pędziwiatr said he called John Paul II Hospital where the Department of Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery is located.
“I insisted they take him there because, in my opinion, he had the best chance of survival there, where there were specialists for precisely this type of injury,” he told Fakt.
According to local media, Wierdak is a renowned surgeon in Krakow. The University Hospital in Krakow states Pędziwiatr is head of General, Oncological, Metabolic and Emergency Surgery.
Four women and two men were among those killed, including four polish nationals, a British man and a non-Polish citizen whose nationality has not yet been disclosed.
The National Public Prosecutor’s Office in Poland is launching an investigation into the attack with a unit specialising in “terrorist offences” taking the lead.
Separately, six Dublin Civil Defence volunteers reportedly also assisted in the aftermath of the shooting.
James McConnell, an officer, told RTE News the group were on a city break and were close to the main square when the shooting happened.
The volunteers who are trained to provide medical care immediately sought to help injured people, providing “CPR and haemorrhage control”.
